Due to generous funding from The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and The Friends of Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, Bradford District Museums and Galleries has an exciting new acquisition in its collection – a preparatory sketch of The Polar Star by William Shackleton. Dr Lauren Padgett, Assistant Curator of Collections, tells us about the process of acquiring Shackleton’s sketch and how it enhances the collection.
In Spring 2023, the Collections Team were contacted by a fine art dealer who had come across a pencil sketch drawing in their stock. Their research had indicated that this sketch, signed by William Shackleton, was the preparatory sketch for artwork that we (Bradford District Museums and Galleries) had in our existing collection. Due to the clear links to our artwork, they wanted us to have the opportunity to consider purchasing it for our public art collection.
William Shackleton was born in Bradford in 1872. He attended Bradford Grammar School then Bradford Technical College where he studied art. He was awarded scholarships to study in London (at what became The Royal College of Art), Paris and Italy, and then had a London studio with fellow artist Philip Connard. Shackleton became a prolific artist of international acclaim.
He exhibited at various high-profile locations, including the Royal Academy, and at the Venice Biennale twice (1910 and 1922) representing Britain. After 1914, Shackleton moved to Malham, North Yorkshire. Shackleton and his portraits and landscapes, heavily symbolic, are considered to be part of the English Impressionist movement. His artworks are in the collections of many museums and art galleries around the UK. He died in 1933. Art UK shows a selection of Shackleton’s work in public art institutions, including our collection, here.
Before artists and sculptors start creating their artwork, they may plan or draft their composition first. Artists may produce a preparatory sketch or study, and sculptors might make a maquette (a small model) before creating the larger sculpture. These give an insight into the creative and artistic process and when in a different medium to the final artwork, they show it from a different perspective. In this case, Shackleton had sketched in pencil on paper his design for what would become the oil on canvas painting The Polar Star. The sketch has his signature on it twice and ‘18’ next to one, an abbreviation of the year 1918.
The oil painting The Polar Star was painted by Shackleton in 1920 and acquired by Cartwright Hall Art Gallery two years later in 1922. Overall, Bradford Museums has around sixty artworks by Shackleton in its collection. The Polar Star is a popular artwork; it was on loan to Leaming Spa Museum and Art Gallery in for their exhibition Modern Pre-Raphaelite Visionaries and to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Udine, Italy in 2023. Throughout these two loans, it was seen by just under 50,000 visitors.
Lauren replied to the fine art dealer thanking them for contacting Bradford Museums and liaised with the rest of Collections Team about it. A ripple of excitement spread as Lauren shared the details and photographs of it, comparing the sketch and oil versions, confirming that it was indeed Shackleton’s preparatory sketch of The Polar Star.
In line with our Collections Development Policy, the offer of purchase went forward to the Collections Development Panel’s quarterly meeting in May 2023. The Panel is made up of Bradford Museums colleagues across teams and representatives from the Friends of Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, and Cliffe Castle Support Group. Offers of donations and purchase are presented for the Panel to review and decide democratically and collectively which are approved and declined, considering factors such as storage requirements, conservation needs and display opportunities. Lauren presented the purchase offer and the Panel decided that the preparatory sketch would make a welcomed addition to the collection.
Lauren was tasked with securing external funding for the purchase. Lauren liaised with the fine art dealer about the Panel’s decision, and they kindly said they would reserve it until we could raise funds to purchase it and would work with us on any funding application. Additionally, they would complete some paper conservation on it for us as part of the purchase.
Lauren researched possible funders and funding opportunities, and The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund fit the bill perfectly. Lauren submitted an expression of interest and was quickly invited to have a chat with the Purchase Grant Team. After a positive and encouraging conversation about the sketch, Shackleton as an artist and Bradford Museums’ existing art collection, Lauren was given the go ahead to apply for funding.
The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a government fund that helps regional museums, record offices and specialist libraries in England and Wales to acquire objects relating to the arts, literature and history. It was established at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 1881 and continues to be part of its nationwide work. The annual grants budget, currently £725,000, is provided by Arts Council England National Lottery Funding. Each year, the Purchase Grant Fund considers some 150 applications and awards grants to around 100 organisations, enabling acquisitions of over £3 million to go ahead. Visit their website
As the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund would cover 50% of the purchase price, match funding was needed. Lauren completed and submitted a funding application to The Friends of Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, requesting funding from them for the rest of the purchase cost and additional delivery/courier fees. The Friends of Bradford Art Galleries and Museums support activities across Bradford Museums’ sites through funding and volunteering.
The Friends’ funding application was successful. With 50% of the funding for the purchase (plus delivery costs) secured, Lauren – supported by Curator of Collections Lowri Jones – later completed and submitted the V&A Purchase Grant Fund application in early December 2023 and crossed her fingers. Christmas came early for us as we quickly received confirmation that the application had been successful! Lauren passed the good news onto colleagues, the Friends and the fine art dealer.
In the New Year, we got the ball rolling with the purchase. Our Business Team liaised with the vendor to complete the purchase. Then the vendor worked with Lauren to arrange delivery of the artwork to Cartwright Hall Art Gallery. We liaised with the Friends to receive the funding to cover their half of purchase and delivery fees.
The artwork was now on its way to us via an art courier and due to arrive 29 February 2024. Lauren eagerly went onsite to Cartwright Hall Art Gallery to receive it with our Collections Registrar Pam Keeton and then it was accessioned into Bradford Museums’ art collection. The final stages to finish off this acquisition project was to confirm the purchase and provide proof of receipt to complete V&A Grant Purchase Fund award, and to publicise our latest acquisition, hence this blog. There are plans to showcase this sketch to the Friends over the next few months so they can see what their funding contribution went towards.
Now part of Bradford Museums’ collection, the sketch has the potential to be displayed as a companion piece with the oil painting or on its own. There are also potential education and research activities by schools and art scholars that can be linked to it as it has opened up more narratives around local creativity and creative processes. In the future, it is hoped that it will increase interest in the wider Shackleton collection, helping to make this more accessed and accessible through research and loans for display at international venues
